Pedal connection for musical instruments.



0. DREGER. I PEDAL CONNECTION FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLIGATION FILED AUG. 16, 1906.

1477'0/9/YEK PATENTED JAN. 14, 1908.

UNITED STATES OTTO DREGER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PEDAL CONNECTION FOR MUSICAL IN S TRUIIDEN'IS.

Specification otZLettei-s Patent.

Patented Jan. 14, 1908.

Application filed August 1906. Serial No. 330.849. p

T 0 all whom it 'ma 1; con cern Be it known that I. ()T'ro DnEGEn, resid- Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania.

havc'invented a Pedal Connection for Musical Instruments, of which the following isa specification.

This invention is a connection for the pedal mechanism of piano-fortes whereby the attention of the performer is called to any movement thereof. I

Particularly with students, the pedals are frequently operated involuntarily with resuiting discord without the performer being conscious 'of the cause, the mechanism being thrown and held on or ed at or during improper periods.

It is the object of this invention to provide a simple connection for indicating to the performer any movement of the pedal mechanism. I

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a section of a piano-forte with the pedals having a form of the pedal connection in position to beoperated; Fig. 2 represents an enlarged broken plan view of the form of the connection shown in Fig. 1 Fig. 3 represents a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 represents a sectional side elevation of a further form of the invention.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the draw- .ings, the piano-forte 1 has, placed under the pedals 2, mechanism comprising the base 3 with the wavs 4 for the guides 5 of boxes 6 which contain bells 7 operated by means includl 1; ylungcrs S disposed under the. pedals, the l'n'IUS with'fihc sounding iuechanism'being movable upon the base-under or away from the pedals as desired.

In order that the bell may be sounded both upon throwing the pedal mechanism on and oil, any suitable striking mechanism may be employed, as, torexample, a lever having the arms 9 and 10 with the hammers 11 and 12 thereon pivoted on the fulcrum 13, in combination with the plunger 8, reciprocating under control of the coiled spring 14,

the spring being connected to the plunger and to a fixed support so that it acts to lift the former out of contact with thelever. When the foot of the performer, upon a pedal 2, depresses the plunger 8, the latter'strikes mg in the city of Philadelphia. county of;

,' .the arm 10 and throws the hammer 1 1 against the bell. When the foot is withdrawn from the pedal the coiled spring lifts the plunger and the hammer 1 1 being of sufficient weight therefor, throws the han1mer'12 against-the bell, the arm 10 being made resilient therefor.

As in different instruments the pedals are I placed at different elevations, a vertical adjustment for the connection is provided by forming a thread 15 on the body 15 of the box and a thread 16 onthe cover 16. A further adjustment is provided by making the plunger of a sleeve 18 and a stem 19 movable therein by means of a screw thread ed engagement.

can readily be thrown out of engagement with the pedals by shifting the boxes or ratus carried thereby.

As shown in Fig; 4, a bell 20 is .securedwithin the casing 21 of the piano-forte and run-g carried by the support 24 .fa spring 25fa-rried i by the pedal 26 having thereon a lug 27 which strikes a cam 28 connect-ed with the hammer, by which the latter is caused .to strike the bell upon'the depression or elevation of the pedal- On rising the spring 25 is bent from its normal position by contact. of its lug 27 with the cam .28 and when the lug has passed the cam the spring flies back to its normal position and, in doing so, strikes the cam a )low, by which the hammer 22 is thrown into contact with the bell. A stop .29 on the support 24 limits thebackward movement of the hammer,- andtl e support has the part 24 t-here'onniovable' in its bearing 30 in the easing by which the hammer can be moved out and in to throw the signaling deviee'out of or into operative relation to the pedal.

Having described my invention, I claim the, a counterbalanced hammer for striking said bell, and a device operated by said pedal i for striking said hammer and causing it to strike said bell.

2. A musical instrument having a pedal. a 5 bell, a. hammer having a support about which i it oscillates, and resilientmechanism operated by said pedal to'st-rike said hammer and 1 cause it to strike said bell. 3. A musical instrument havinga pedal, a

It will be understood that this'mechanisni 1. A musical instrument having a pedal, a

moving the base with the signaling appaby a hammer 22 oscillating on the fulcrum 23 bell, a hammer mechanism for striking striking said'hammer mechanism and causing into stn'ke said bell, and means whereby sai 5 striking mechanism can be shifted into and out of engagement with said pedal.

Tn testlmony whereof I have hereunte 4 said I my name this 14th day of August, 1906, in the beli, a device operated by said pedal for p resence of the subscribing Witnesses.

OTTO DREGER.

' Witnesses:

Jos. G. DENNY, Jr., RoBER r JAMES EARLEY. 

